SUBSCRIPT: Are Chechnyian terrorists making CPS central a target? CPS uses Boston bombing as another pretext to gag protesters and limit democracy... Barbara Byrd Bennett's paranoia leads to enhanced Central Office security... New security memo limits access to Clark St. headquarters
As the Chicago Board of Education moves towards the most massive school closing in the history of the USA, CPS officials have been tightening security and orchestrating an illusion of democracy so that the administration of Rahm Emanuel can get away with it. Emanuel has been working since he returned to Chicago for his mayoral bid to control narrative, especially the TV version of reality. Most troubling to Emanuel and his Hollywood scripters has been the massive opposition to his policies, beginning with the citywide critique of the "Longer School Day" and "Pioneer Schools" frauds of the summer of 2011 and the autumn of 2012.
But in order to control what the TV cameras see, Rahm and his subordinates have been tightening "security" more and more, since virtually all of the citizens in the schools being targeted are opposing the latest iteration of the policies. The latest tighening takes place the two days following the tightened security at the April 24 Board of Education meeting, with CPS issuing a memo to limit access to CPS headquarters. Even principals are now required to show special ID to get into 125 S. Clark St.
Retired teacher Bonita Robinson was one of six critics of CPS blocked by security when she demanded answers to her questions after presenting her critique of CPS closing policies. Robinson compared the "underutilization" moves of CPS to the Tuskeegee Syphlis Experiment and told Barbara Byrd Bennett that the current CEO was far from the first African American to betray poor and working class black children and communities. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. From "Longer School Day" in 2011 - 2012 to the "Underutilization Crisis" of 2012 - 2013 followed the same scripts, usually using the same scriptwriters. A few had to be replaced, like Jean-Claude Brizard, whose abilities proved unequal to the challenges posed by the Chicago Teachers Union and communities of parents and children across the city. At each point, Emanuel's version always had an Orwellian name for their alternative. In September 2012 Chicago was introduced to the 13 "Pioneer Schools" that accepted a bride to do the "Longer School Day" early.
By 2013, Chicago was preparing "Welcoming Schools" preparing to receive the students from the schools to be closed according to the "Underutilization Crisis" script.
Both years, according to the mayor and the latest leaders of the Board of Education (by 2013, Barbara Byrd Bennett had replaced Jean-Claude Brizard as the "Chief Executive Officer" of CPS and the protagonist of the narrative), Chicago's public schools were facing a "deficit" so massive that the actions had to be taken. But by April 24, 2013, CPS was amending its borrowing schedule to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to pull off the "Welcoming Schools" chapter.
But all the time, behind the scenes, CPS was in the real world tightening security. By the time of the April 24 Board of Education meeting, the President of the Board, David Vitale, and the CEO of CPS, Barbara Byrd Bennett, were ordering security to gag speakers who demanded answers to questions that had been asked for months across the city.
Meanwhile, CPS was preparing to enhance the security inside its bunker at 125 S. Clark St., the headquarters of the third largest school system in the USA. On Thursday, April 25, the following memo went out to all CPS officials. Principals and others who don't work regularly at the headquarters of CPS will go through additional screening:
"In light of recent security incidents around the country, and in order to further safeguard our staff, CPS is taking steps to improve security access protocols at Central Office. Beginning today, April 25, Central Office employees will be required to add a sticker to their existing employee ID badge. These stickers will be issued by the Office of Safety and Security and will identify staff as Central Office employees. CPS employees who do not present ID badges with these stickers will need to check in at the front security desk.
"All Central Office employees will be given stickers by their managers today (Thursday) and enforcement of the new policy will begin tomorrow (Friday, April 26). Please comply fully by immediately placing the sticker on your CPS employee ID badge.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
